Happy Friday to you! I hope you're ready for the weekend, I sure am! But first, I have a shop tour to share from Sweden. And... well I hope to do a lot more of these again in the future so if you have a lovely shop that you'd like to show off, and you want thousands of eyes to see it outside of your local neighborhood, please contact me (holly at decor8blog dot com) with a few preview photos so I can see your shop! Don't be shy, it's a great way to share your passion and a good way to market yourself at no charge -- something small businesses really need to do in order to stay afloat. You can't sit behind the cash register thinking some magazine editor will find you, in this day and age you have to get online and share your store with blogs. I've had many magazine editors connect with those I've featured on this site -- and those are the people you want to get in front of and this is often impossible so please, take this opportunity to share your shop! Really! AND if you are an indie designer, scroll to the bottom of this post...

I cannot share all shops that are submitted but I can tell you this: I'm looking for stores that are unique, interesting, creative and one that you can imagine seeing on this blog -- fitting within the aesthetic and mood here. I think the shop I'm about to show you is a great example of what I'm looking for -- small, local, unique, with strong attention to detail when it comes to visual merchandising and overall layout. I also love the way these were photographed in natural sunlight vs. harsh overhead lighting or worse, with flash photography. I hope my submission guidelines don't come across as too snobby, but I'm very dedicated to sharing beauty on this site and great decorating ideas that inspire so I have to maintain a few house rules. But, I'm very open to sharing and connecting people so if you are too and want to show us your retail shop, please have it photographed or do-it-yourself and send them to me so I can schedule you in. If I receive enough submissions, I'll turn this back into a regular weekly "event" here on Fridays and revive Shop Talk along with it - a column I once ran where we talked about small business related topics. I think it's more important than ever to share the small retail establishments that give so much to a community because we want them to thrive and stick around. Here in my city, more and more small stores are opening and I'm so happy to see this growth. Go indie!

With all that said... here is a special shop in Malmö, Lutterlagkage, that I've been dying to share with you, owned by Stine Holm Weirsoe originally from Denmark. She JUST opened, so these photos were just submitted to me by Stine this morning. Hot off the press! With the photos, I've asked her a few questions so please join us today as Stine and I have a chat about her new storefront. Please click on these images to see the details.

Good morning Stine! Tell us, what do you sell in your new shop? I mainly sell children's clothing and accessories. The shop is centered on my own designs sold under the name "lutterlagkage.dk" I have added some of my favourite brands in children's wear like Swedish "DUNS" and Danish "Milibe". I focus on sustainability and great design with character. What I really want with the shop is to create a place that is brimming with colour, joy and creativity. A place where you can let your hair down and have fun. That is why I also sell interior details such as handmade vintage fabric cushions, vintage wallpaper silhouettes and handmade porcelain jewellery, all products to help spark the lutterlagkage lifestyle.

What are some of your favorite things about this space? One of the favourite things is that I have a big window which is great for displays and for being in touch with the world! Being at home with only the website to showcase my things has been fine but I missed the part where you put your things on display and enjoy them and feel proud because they work as well as you had imagined. I also love the white floors, the fact that I have three rooms - one for the retail space, one for offices space and storage and then a workshop in the back. And I love to be out there, in the real world!

Did you DIY anything we're seeing here as far as the design of the space goes -- and if so, what? I basically DIYed everything with the help of friends and family. I painted, put up the wallpaper tree, a design from Holland that I carry in the shop, put up shelves and wallpaper, mounted the lamps, assembled numerous IKEA items...

I noticed the clothes rack is floating from the ceiling, so that's something you also did yourself? Yes! My friend Katrine came up with the idea of a rack hanging from the ceiling. It proved to be so much harder than we thought ;) But I think it looks great.

Okay, I am dying to know... what does Lutterlagkage mean? Lutterlagkage is a Danish manner of speaking used to express that all is well, that you are happy with something and that you think that everything is crème de la crème! The English equivalent is "peaches and cream". In Danish we often use the term in its negative form, saying that this or that is NOT "lutterlagkage" and that is said very often about life. But I insist! Life IS lutterlagkage! There is another catch to the phrase; lagkage is the traditional birthday cake, the notorious three-layer-cake. What could be better suited for bright, bold and colourful design than that?

And lastly, what inspired your overall design? My design is very much inspired by my clothing design. I wanted surroundings that  communicated the basic values I have built my brand upon; fun, retro eclectic style with a clear inspiration from childhood memories (yes, those were from back in the early seventies :)) and an obtainable DIY-edge. I also wanted my shop to ooze of that Danish design aesthetics well known abroad. That is why I went for classic Verner Panton FlowerPot pendants (reproductions from the 60s) and classic vintage desk lamps, known in Denmark as "architects lamps". I also wanted the design to reflect my focus on recycling, up-cycling and sustainability so I made sure to use what I had and what was there as a starting point (the counter and the hand was left by former tenants), I had the lamps and the display table and some of the shelves. That is always my starting point because I like that warm welcoming ambiance that comes with beat-up furniture and miss-matched item - if it's done cleverly and stylishly. I wanted my shop to have that lived-in ambiance that makes you go "ahhhh" and makes you want to stay and visit again

Stine you've done a beautiful job with your shop - thank you for sharing it with us today on decor8!

Shop address: Online and Hyregatan 7, 21121 Malmö, Sverige.

Indie Designers: Stine is offering a few spots for other indie designers with similar design aesthetics and feel to sell in the shop on commission. Contact Stine for more information: stine AT lutterlagkage.dk

(images: Stine Holm Weirsoe)